The pope also accepted Wednesday the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who led the Diocese of Venice, Florida, since 2007.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, as the third bishop of Venice, Florida, on May 13. The Capuchin Franciscan priest has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., since 2018 and served for more than 20 years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and Cuba.
The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who has reached the usual age of retirement after leading the diocese since 2007, after having first served for nine months as its coadjutor bishop.
Agüero, who was born in Fairfax, Virginia, on Dec. 15, 1964, entered the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin in 1987. He was ordained a priest on May 21, 1994.
With his consecration and installation, the bishop-designate will become the only active Capuchin Franciscan bishop currently heading a U.S. diocese. Bishop Matt Elshoff, OFM Cap, serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Agüero begins his new role in Florida after having served as a missionary for more than two decades. He served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea from 1994–2006 and in Cuba from 2007–2019.
According to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Agüero speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin (a Creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea) in addition to English.
The bishop-designate also holds several academic degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Borromeo College earned in 1987; masterʼs degrees in theology and divinity from Oblate College earned in 1992; and a licentiate in sacred theology from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C., earned in 2007.
His most recent assignment has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. He belongs to the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Augustine in Pittsburgh.
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., said in a statement: “St. Francis burns in the heart of Father Emilio.”
He is “one of the finest pastors in the Archdiocese of Washington,” a man whose “piercing” proclamation of the Gospel draws people to Christ and inspires genuine conversion, McElroy said. The bishop-designate “has been unswerving in reaching out to the poor and the marginalized, and the undocumented. He is also a bridge-builder who reaches across the boundaries of polarization to forge real solidarity in the family of God,” McElroy said.
This story was updated at 1:25 p.m. ET on May 13, 2026, to include the statement from Cardinal Robert McElroy.
This article was originally published by EWTN News English.
